Glitched Wishes
by healylite
Summary: After an intense Grand Festival finale, May participates in a fishing rally to see an old friend and meets a zealous fishing fanatic dressed as a waiter there. They participate as a team for the rally, but an accident at sea causes them to be stranded on a suspicious island. The only way out is if they work together! May x Cilan friendship, possible romance (undecided).
1. I don't think so, Harley!

Glitched Wishes

__Disclaimer__: I don't own the Pokemon series!

__Summary__: After an intense Grand Festival finale, May participates in a fishing rally to see an old friend and meets a zealous fishing fanatic dressed as a waiter there. They participate as a team for the rally, but an accident at sea causes them to be stranded at a suspicious island. The only way out is if they work together! May x Cilan friendship, possible romance (undecided)

Genres: Horror/Mystery/Science Fiction/Friendship and maybe romance

**_**Chapter One: I don't think so, Harley!**_**

The stage was set at the Johto Grand Festival! This year's contest season was longer than usual because the contest halls were scattered all over the region and the organizers were trying some new things, but it was all worth it. May met her seasoned rivals, Harley and Drew, in contests all over the region, and the three of them were certain to make contest history since each of their battles were so close. Anyone following Pokemon Contests at all heard of them and paid particular attention to their matches.

This time it was the furthest that May's ever been. She had barely managed to beat Drew in the semi-finals, and standing before her now was Harley. They had both been whittling each other's points all battle long. Everyone, including the MC and the judges, were hanging on to their seats.

"All right, Glaceon, use Ice Shard! And Blastoise, follow it up with Hydro Pump in the air!" ordered May, her arm outstretched as she confidently gave the order. Her pokemon jumped up immediately, dodging Harley's Octillery's Constrict in the process.

"And May's Pokemon performs a glorious ice and water display in her famous Ice Fireworks move! Harley had better watch out, because that move is not only stunning, but it packs a punch once those not so delicate ice sculptures rain down on the battlefield!" exclaimed the MC.

"You won't fool me with that trick again, May darling," smirked Harley. "I'm one step ahead of you! Banette, use Thunder!"

Banette cackled and filled the stage with lightning and also managed to reflect on the ice, which was beginning to hurtle towards the stage.

"Wow, Harley manages to turn May's attack to his advantage, showing off Banette's sheer power! How will May respond?" said the MC, stunned.

May eyes widened as she found an opening. The accuracy of Banette's Thunder was low and its light reflected off of the ice, so for now it wasn't hitting any of the pokemon on stage, so what if she could use that Thunder...

"Glaceon! Jump on Blastoise! Blastoise use Surf!" shouted May.

"Banette, use will-o-wisp to melt the ice! Octillery, follow it up with Surf too!" bellowed Harley. May's mouth dropped open. __He wouldn't__.

"I don't believe it! The entire stage is completely drowned in water! Folks in the first five rows, I hope you brought a raincoat, because it-is-POURING!" screamed the MC before getting soaked. The judges also got drenched, and so did the two coordinators.

May was completely horrified the instant the water hit her dress that her mom specially ordered for her. Apparently it was in the magazine Unova Chic Monthly, a pink and white dress styled with "the majestic grace of a Jellicent" and was complete with tentacles and ruffles. She'd normally never pick that out herself, but her mom begged her to wear it. The dress immediately ballooned because it could double up as a flotation device and she shrieked and turned red in embarrassment. She glared at Harley. He knew about this! He totally did this on purpose!

Harley immediately burst into laughter, but strangely enough, a lot of the male viewers in the audience had hearts in their eyes, and began to chant, "May, May, May, May!" May covered her face as the water started clearing up and her dress deflated.

The MC waited for the crowd to die down before beginning to announce again. "After that daring move, and uh, interesting fashion technique by Coordinator May" (May: "IT'S NOT INTERESTING!") "which pokemon is left standing?" The MC waited for the water to clear some more, before continuing. "I don't believe it! It's a quadruple knock-out! The judges are going to have a hard time deciding this one!"

May and Harley returned their pokemon to their pokeballs, thanking them for the performances.

The judges spoke among themselves for what felt like forever, and when they were finally done, they applauded both Harley's and May's performances.

"Truly remarkable! One of the best contest battles I've ever seen!" exclaimed Mr. Sukizo.

"It was an amazing battle. It's hard to pick out any flaws in both coordinators' work. All of the pokemon that battled truly shone," added one of the Nurse Joys that were judging.

"So who won? Who won already?!" muttered Harley to himself. May wasn't faring any better.

"It really was amazing watching these two coordinators grow throughout their Johto performances," said another Nurse Joy. "This battle was really something else! And that was quite a daring move at the end by both coordinators. I really felt like I was in a water park!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Nurse Joy," said Mr. Contesta. "The two of you are incredible coordinators. We judged every aspect of the battle and even took the appeal stage in account, and it is a tie!"

The audience gasped. Harley and May both screamed "WHAT?!" and even the MC was speechless for a moment.

When the commotion died down a little, Mr. Contesta continued. "But unfortunately we can't have two winners for the coveted Ribbon Cup! According to contest rules, in the rare case this happens there will be an extra event for both coordinators to compete in, which we will hold tomorrow here at the stadium."

The MC blinked a few times, and then said into her microphone, "So there you have it, folks! Tomorrow is, hopefully, when we'll find out who the true victor of this year's Grand Festival is! Thank you to all our performers today, and I'll be seeing all of you again soon!"

May grumbled about Harley under her breath as she stomped towards the pier of Cherrygrove City. She was now in her normal clothes, a green bandana with a pokemon logo and a orange dress with a similar print on it. She had on her green fanny bag as well. There was an event she wanted to check out that was going on the same day as the Grand Festival. It was a fishing rally, and though she wasn't too big on fishing (it was a relaxing pastime, but eating was her pastime of choice) she decided to check it out because she instantly recognized the name on the flier- it was Mr. Briney's fishing rally! Mr. Briney had helped her and her friends a lot during her journey through Hoenn and had given them lifts with his boat. He was a really nice old man who told her stories about his young sailor days and his adventures with his trusty friend, Peeko, a Wingul who was always by his side.

She took a deep breath, calming herself. That Harley. That double Surf trick was totally unnecessary! Then again, he got drenched too and in hindsight she supposed it could be __perceived__ as funny...Harley'd never let her live it down. And she couldn't even begin to imagine Drew's reaction. Wait, maybe he didn't watch the contest! There was still some hope!

"Get your Grand Festival pics here! We already have prints from the finals!" announced a merchant from a nearby booth. May looked at the picture that hung on the wall of the booth and screeched in agony. It was her getting splashed by a surf wave and her dress instantly inflating, and while that was happening she was making the most embarrassing face ever! This was the worst! So much for __that__, her picture was probably all over town!

"Hey, isn't that May? It is!" exclaimed the merchant. "Water you up to?" He asked, proud of himself for the pun and chuckling. "These pictures are free for you of course! Good job today!"

"AAAHHH!" screamed May in response before fleeing.

The merchant scratched his head. He didn't think the pun was that bad...okay, maybe it was.

* * *

May stepped onto the pier. The rally didn't seem busy, and there was only a small crowd there. She supposed that most people were concerned with the Grand Festival so maybe fishing wasn't their top concern. She brightened when she saw Mr. Briney, and ran over to him while waving.

"Hello Mr. Briney! It's May! Remember, you gave me and my friends a ride to Dewford Island in the Hoenn region! When I saw your name on the flier, I just had to come see you. How are you?" asked May with a huge smile.

"Why, hello there May!" replied Mr. Briney. He returned her smile. "How've you been, little lady?"

"I've been great! Say, where's Peeko? She's not with you today?" asked May, looking for the cute little Wingul.

Briney laughed. "My darling Peeko is flying around somewhere! So are you entering the fishing rally today, May?"

"Oh, that's too bad, I wanted to see her! Uh huh! But what are you doing all the way over here in Johto, Mr. Briney?"

"Well, that's just the thing," said Mr. Briney, stroking his chin. "This old sailor hasn't had his last adventure yet! There's a special island somewhere in the Johto seas. I've heard it started appearing only recently and it appears in a different area each time, or so they say."

"Wow, what's it called?" asked May.

"Glitch Island. I'm afraid I don't know much about it other than its name. There is one other thing I heard. The island chooses who can see and visit it. It might merely be a myth, but my sailor blood tells me there must be a pattern to its appearances! Ha ha ha! Well don't let me keep ya, young lady. Registration's almost over, see? There's some forms you need to fill out over there. Just some health waivers, nothing too big you see. You better get there before they put everything away," replied the old sailor.

"Okay, got it!" May smiled then turned towards the booth. They were closing it as she signed the forms and she was supposed to be the last entrant.

"OH NOOOOOOO! I'M LAAAAATE!" screamed a male voice. May turned towards the sound, but whoever it was was too far away for her to see anything but a dust cloud racing towards the booth. There was no way whoever it was would make it in time.

"Um, one more please," said May to staff at the rally.

"I'm afraid we really have to start," said the man at the counter, dismayed. "The other fisherman want to begin as soon as possible. Why don't you add a teammate to your form?"

May looked confused, but at least she didn't have to add a name to the form. She just had to write how many people were in her team, so she put the number two for her and whoever was coming in late. "Okay, here you go."

"Here are two Old Rods. Good luck!" said the man.


	2. Accident at Sea

_A/N: Ahhh! So I wanted to daydream and write more for this story but I started school and it's so busy ALL the time! I barely have time to think and I'm already behind on my studies! I'm so disappointed because I want to think about more of Cilan and May's adventures haha...so I'm sorry about the slow updates. I only have a few chapters pre-written and I won't be able to edit much either so I hope this story comes out okay and I'll be able to get into a routine to write because this semester is until December. Also don't be hard on me if it's not realistic hahaha Anyways I hope you enjoy it and also thank you BlazingPoptart for the review!_

_**Chapter Two: Accident at Sea**_

Cilan ran as fast as he could to the booth. A girl wearing a green bandana and a sleeveless orange dress was standing there, looking perplexed. The booth was empty when Cilan got there, and he slammed his arms on the counter dramatically.

"OH NOOOO! DON'T TELL ME I MISSED REGISTRAAAAATION!" He dropped to his knees and looked towards the sky with his arms outstretched. "It was my fantasy to fish in a rally held by the great Mr. Briney! This is way too spicy for my tastes! How could this happen!" He already had tears in his eyes at this great injustice.

"Uh, excuse me mister," chirped up the girl at the counter. "I saw you coming so before registration closed I added you to my team." She held out her copy of the form. "See? And you don't have to worry about the prize, I'm just doing this for fun-"

"REALLY?" Cilan had stars in his eyes and leaped up. "This is truly unexpected! A pleasant taste to be sure! I've been saved!"

The girl smiled. "My name is May. Nice to meet you!"

Cilan smiled back. "My name is Cilan, and I'm a fishing connoisseur!"

"Now what's a fishing connoisseur?" asked May, handing him the Old Rod.

Cilan smirked to himself, and before she knew it, May was subjected to a mini fishing rant that she was trying hard to keep up with while he scouted out the perfect spot. She trailed behind him, fascinated by his zeal.

"You remind me of someone. A fishing legend," said May, trying hard to remember his name. "He had a certain way to cast a fishing rod, hmm, let me think...I know! The Full-moon Cast!"

"Full-moon cast?!" Cilan exclaimed, shocked. "No way! You really met the illustrious Sullivan, the fishing legend?! He's practically a god! It's one of my dreams to perfect that glorious and exquisite casting method!"

"Wow, I guess he really was famous," remarked May with a shrug, but before Cilan could go on his scheduled rant about how awesome Sullivan was, she pointed at a couple of fishermen who were out in the water on a canoe. "Hey, let's get a boat, like them!"

"That's a tasty idea," agreed Cilan, grinning confidently. "We'll be able to get bigger fish if we go out in the water."

* * *

The sea was gentle as Cilan and May rowed. Cilan wanted to find the best spot, and every time May would point one out, he would shake his head and claim it wouldn't wield the best fish. He appeared to be taking the rally extremely seriously, and assured her that with a fishing connoisseur on the team, the prize was as good as theirs. While they rowed, they made some small talk.

"So, May, are you a pokemon trainer as well?" asked Cilan, once they had taken out the old rods.

"That's right! I'm a pokemon coordinator," replied May proudly. "I'm participating in the Grand Festival this week."

"Ah! A pokemon coordinator," Cilan said with understanding. He remembered meeting Dawn on his journey with Ash. "I've had the pleasure of evaluating one during my journey!"

"Evaluating?" repeated May, confused.

"That's right! You see, I'm not only a fishing connoisseur, but a pokemon connoisseur as well!" exclaimed Cilan with a grin.

"What does a pokemon connoisseur do?" asked May curiously.

"A pokemon connoisseur evaluates a trainer and his or her pokemon to see if they are compatible with each other. They give advice to trainers who struggle with the bond they share with their pokemon, and can also help beginning trainers choose which pokemon is best for them to start with," explained Cilan.

"Wow, that's really cool!" exclaimed May. "I've never met a pokemon connoisseur before. I wonder why I never saw one when I picked out my pokemon at Professor Birch's lab."

"Well, they're not well-known outside of Unova, so I'm not surprised," responded Cilan. His eyes narrowed as he noticed something. "Was it always this misty? The sky was clear just a second ago. Strange, the weather report said it would be clear all day..."

Surprised, May looked around. "You're right! It's so thick too, I can hardly see a thing!" White mist surrounded their boat, and she could barely see Cilan's face, now that he mentioned it.

"Maybe we went too far out. Let's turn back-" started Cilan, but stopped talking when he noticed that the sea, previously still, had began rocking the boat with angry waves. The two of them screamed in surprise. One particularly strong wave hit the boat, causing Cilan to lose balance and fall overboard. He screamed as the current pulled him backward into a large rock, which he couldn't avoid because he couldn't see much through the fog. The impact knocked him out.

"CILAN!" screamed May. Though she could barely make out what was in front of her, she immediately jumped off the boat to help him. She struggled against the current and noticed him as he hit the rock, and swam as hard as she could to reach him. She grabbed onto his arm just as he lost consciousness. Another sudden wave hit the two of them, pushing them into a whirlpool. She tried to hold on to him as hard as she could and didn't bother fighting against the current anymore, until everything turned black...

* * *

May opened her eyes. She was on a beach with the sun directly on her face. The sky was clear overhead. She sat up. She had a few scratches but it seemed like she was mostly okay, and her bag and pokemon were fine, too. She squinted at the horizon. It was weird, the sky was clear overhead, but if she gazed out into the ocean, there was only a thick white mist. Their boat was nowhere to be found.

She looked around suddenly. What about Cilan?! Was he okay? Thankfully, she spotted him lying down nearby. He was unconscious. "Cilan? Cilan, wake up!" she tried nudging him awake, but it was to no avail.

"Venusaur, come on out!" she exclaimed. The red light extended from her pokeball, and her familiar grass pokemon came out. "Vene!"

"Venusaur, can you help me bring Cilan into some shade? We should find a stream if we can." She frowned as she noticed he had a cut on his leg. "We should hurry!"

"Venusaur!" agreed Venusaur. May helped Cilan up and Venusaur used Vine Whip to support his weight. She led the way deeper into the island and found a river running through. After making a quick bed of leaves, Venusaur lowered Cilan on to it.

May smiled at Venusaur gratefully. "Thanks so much! Return!" She returned the pokemon to its pokeball. The waiter was breathing heavily and shivering severely. May's mind raced, frightened by what was happening. There had to be something she could do to keep him warm! She pulled out a pink blanket from her bag and wrapped it around him and then threw her pokeball. "Go Blaziken!"

"Blaze!" said her fire chicken pokemon.

"Can you keep Cilan warm while I go find some firewood?" asked May.

"Blaziken!" Blaziken nodded, It made a flame near Cilan, which decreased his shivering a little.

* * *

May hurried back with wood and some fruits that she found wildly growing on the island. She started a fire near Cilan. She thanked Blaziken and returned it to its pokeball. The waiter's body still felt cold, and the thought that he wouldn't get better scared her. She cleaned the small cut on his forehead with the water from the stream and placed a bandage as carefully as she could. She wasn't very good at it and ended up wrapping his head with a lot of it, but it'd have to do for now.

She only had the basics when it came to supplies needed for adventuring, so she reached over and looked through his bag for anything that could possibly be helpful. At a time like this he should drink something warm, like tea! She pushed around the stuff in his bag, not paying attention to anything that didn't look remotely helpful. There were plenty of herbs and spices carefully labeled in packets, and she finally came across a ziplock bag labeled 'peppermint tea.' That sounded good enough. She also found a small pot and a cup.

While she was making the tea, Cilan came to. "Unnh... Where am I?" He pulled on the pink blanket in confusion. "This isn't mine." His head was still pounding and his breathing a little labored and he felt extremely cold and a little dizzy. "What's going on?"

"You're awake!" exclaimed May, giving him a relieved smile. She fumbled to grab the cup and poured the finished tea into it as fast as she could. "Here, drink this."

He took the cup, but was still shivering so it started to spill. May reached over and held his hands still. "Come on, you have to drink it. You need to get warm!" She helped him bring the cup to his mouth and he slowly took a few sips. Satisfied that he was able to do it on his own now, she fed the fire with more wood.

She waited until he finished drinking the tea, and then asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Can I have some more?" he asked weakly.

"Of course." May poured more tea into his cup. She stood up, taking Blaziken out of its pokeball once more. "I'm going to go upstream to see if I can catch anything for dinner. You should stay here and rest. Blaziken, mind watching Cilan while I'm gone? I'm counting on you!"

"Blaziken!"

Cilan's eyes drooped. He laid on the bed of leaves again and closed his eyes for just a moment so that maybe he would stop being so dizzy. The tea had helped, but he was still very tired. Sleep came to him easily.

* * *

Cilan awoke a few hours later. It was now dark on the island. He felt much better, and sat up. May was sitting across the campfire, roasting fish. Had she been taking care of him this whole time? He pushed himself up, realizing he was starving and parched. All of the pokemon were out and eating from their dishes, including his. She must have released them from his bag and fed them, too. Pansage, Crustle, and Stunfisk were okay much to his relief. He didn't recognize the other four pokemon.

Why did it feel like something was on his head? He touched it, feeling the bandages. "What is this?" he muttered to himself.

"Well, hello there! You look like you're doing much better," said May. "I'm so glad, I was really worried...Wait, should you be getting up so quickly?" she asked, panicked, as he stood up and made his way to the stream and peered into his reflection. He smiled at the job May did, which was laughably bad.

"Now this is an interesting way to wrap bandages. I'm afraid they need to be used like spices. If you add too much, they'll overpower the dish and that's no good." He started unwrapping them. "I'll just do this again." He began wrapping it once more, but with much less used.

"Sorry! I tried my best with them!" exclaimed May.

"No, no, no! It's me who should be sorry. You've been taking care of me this whole time! I'm not sure what I would have done if you weren't here. I'm extremely grateful, May," he replied. He washed up in the stream and drank some water before he sat back down at the fire. "You've really done too much!"

"Here. It's not much, but you should eat," offered May, holding out a plate full of fish and beans. The beans were from a can she had in her bag that she kept for long training sessions.

"Thank you!" Cilan was ravenous and took a few bites, but that didn't stop him from saying, "It's uh, an interesting flavor!"

"You get used to it if you camp out a lot," said May indifferently, shrugging her shoulders. She took a bite of her own fish. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's not very glamorous. Though sometimes there's just nothing like eating food cooked over a campfire!"

"No, no! I like it! It's not often that someone cooks for me! It's got a rustic, simple flavor to it!" exclaimed Cilan.

The two continued eating in silence. Cilan felt his strength return after eating, and also reached for the fruits that May cut up earlier from what she found on the island. He had a ton of questions on his mind, and then there was May who barely knew him but jumped out of the boat as soon as he fell. If it wasn't for her, he was sure he'd be dead. May, meanwhile, was wondering when she should bring up the fact that they were stranded. She didn't see their boat anywhere and she could only guess that they washed up on an island somewhere near the whirlpool that had sucked them in. It was lucky they were able to survive that. She didn't see a single soul since they had arrived on the island, and was sure it was deserted. However, because she was worried over Cilan's condition, she also didn't have the chance to explore it well.

"I've never seen your pokemon before," said May suddenly. She took out her pokedex and tried to scan the green monkey one, only to hear _'Pokedex entry not found_._' _"That's strange."

Cilan smiled. "These are my prime pokemon! They're from the Unova region. This is Pansage, Crustle, and Stunfisk."

"I see! My pokedex isn't updated to include that region," explained May, before she stooped down before the monkey pokemon. "Wow, they look awesome!" She patted Pansage's head. "You're really cute, too!"

"Pan!" exclaimed Pansage happily.

"Stunfisk," said Stunfisk, coming closer to her. Crustle also greeted her. "Crustle!"

"Ahaha, you're all pretty cute!" exclaimed May to the pokemon.

"I'm not familiar with your pokemon, either. They look very strong, and of course well taken care of," commented Cilan. "Perhaps a touch _too_ taken care of." He had noticed the huge helping of food that May gave each of her pokemon, which dwarfed the amount that his liked to eat.

May didn't seem to hear his last remark. "This is Blaziken, Glaceon, Blastoise, and Venusaur. They're my best friends!"

"As a pokemon connoisseur, I have to say they suit you very well! But I'd need an 'evaluation time' in battle to evaluate them properly," said Cilan.

"Is that some sort of food? You can eat during a pokemon battle?" asked May seriously, clearly forgetting his little explanation of what a pokemon connoisseur did earlier. "Evaluation time a la mode." She clapped her hands gleefully. "That sounds yummy!"

Cilan's face fell. "No! That's completely wrong!" He brightened almost immediately afterward because now he had the chance to explain it. "Evaluation time is much more than just a simple dish." He spun around, sparkles in his eyes. "During the heat of battle, evaluation time identifies the medley of techniques each side uses in their determination to achieve the sweet taste of exquisite victory! It's the chance to explore the beauty and the flaws of each combination, resulting in a unique recipe of strategies for a future soiree! After all, pokemon battling is just like two chefs testing their culinary prowess in which each chef creates a delicious flavor designed to lightly dance on your tongue!...W-why are you looking at me like that?"

May's face was only a few inches away from his face, in deep thought. She was also drooling a little. "Okay, now say, 'today's dessert menu includes'..."

Cilan snapped his fingers and grinned. "Today's dessert menu includes Striaton's original cheesecake, topped with fresh local grown strawberries and a rich fluffy cream whisked to perfection, along with a hint of-" He stopped himself and then grabbed his head in dismay. "Wait just a second! You completely missed the pooooooint! I didn't get through to you at aaaaaaall!" He moped and pouted. "I guess it's only Misunderstanding Time..."

"Is that on the menu too?" asked May, confused.

"Apparently sooooo..." whined Cilan.

May returned her pokemon while he was moping. "Well you're feeling a lot better, so I'm going to do a little exploring. You can join me if you're feeling up to it."

Cilan pulled himself off the floor. "Ah! Of couuuuurse! We need to find out what ingredients we're dealing with here so we can make the perfect island getaway!"

May clasped her hands together. "Is that a beverage you serve in your restaurant? I _love_ tropical flavors!"

Cilan fell back on the floor again. "Nooo...but I sense that you're still hungry. Perhaps I should stay here and whip up a dessert with the fruit that grows here on this very island!"

"Aren't you a waiter?" asked May bluntly.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Cilan wagged his finger. "Every Pokemon connoisseur should know food like the back of his hand! This is nothing to me, Pokemon Connoisseur Cilan!"

May shrugged and started walking off. "Wow, your restaurant sure is understaffed. Well, like I always say, whatever boats your float!"

"It's whatever floats your boat!" protested Cilan.

"I knew there was a reason I never said that...ahaha, see ya!" She waved and ran off to see what she could find.


	3. The Island Glitches

_**Chapter Three: The Island Glitches**_

May explored the small island and wound up at the beach again. The island wasn't very big and it was surrounded by beaches at its edges. It was a very rocky island, but a stream ran through it which several trees grew by. That was where Cilan was, presumably making a dessert of some kind. Mist still surrounded the island, and she couldn't see anything past it, but the island itself was clear. Neither of them had been deeper into the island past the stream, which appeared to have several giant rock formations.

"Huh? What's that?" There was a weirdly shaped pile of sand on the beach, but just underneath it was something red. She brushed the sand off, surprised when she revealed...a phone?! She jumped when it started to ring. She picked up the receiver, but the video was only static. "Uh...hello?

"_Hello Pokemon Coordinator May from Petalburg City," _said the voice on the other end. The voice didn't sound like anyone she knew, and there was too much white noise for her to hear it clearly.

"AAHH! How does a phone know who I am?!" screeched May.

"_Come into the Cave of Glitches in center of the island and all will be clear."_ the voice said mysteriously.

"How do I get off the island, Mr. Phone?!" asked May, however the connection ended after she asked and she heard the dial tone. She placed the receiver back in its place and stared at it, scared. "I wonder why the phone wants me to go inside a cave..." But as she looked at it, there were scan lines on the phone until it began to disappear. Surprised, she reached for it, but her hands only touched sand. "No way! But it was right there! Where'd it go?!"

She hesitated, and looked at the dark and towering rocks deep in the island. They looked ominous during the night, and when she stared at them long enough, she thought she saw the same scan lines as before. She blinked and looked away.

* * *

Cilan was almost done with the dessert that he was making and decided to make a jam with one of the fruits on the island to top off the dish. He had his Pansage use Vine whip to get some fruits down and then bent to reach for it. "Ah!' He gasped in surprise as the fruit's image distorted and disappeared before his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Pansage?!" exclaimed his startled Pansage. "Pan pan!"

Cilan's eyes narrowed. "Alright. I'll just have to grab another then." He reached for another fruit, but the same thing happened. This time all of the fruit and even the tree itself distorted and disappeared, only to appear a split second later about a meter away from him, and then a split second after that, another meter back, and then another split second, and the tree was sitting in the middle of the stream, right on top of the water.

"But that's not possible!" exclaimed Cilan. Pansage and Cilan ran to the bank of the stream, where the tree and the fruits that had fallen from it were floating on the water like they belonged there.

Cilan heard a noise similar to the noise a fax machine or scanner would make, and a fruit appeared slowly above him. He fumbled and caught it with a frown, and then exchanged a look with Pansage. He turned back to the desserts he made, and then took a step backwards in shock- jam began to appear on each one before him!

"Waaah!" Cilan looked up as he heard a familiar voice, it was May screaming! He heard the same noise like something was being scanned, and then May began to materialize a several feet high in the air. Once she completely appeared, she was no longer being suspended and she began to fall.

"Pansage, use Vine Whip!" said Cilan quickly. Pansage quickly helped May before she fell on the ground.

"Th-thanks," mumbled May, still in shock. Cilan helped her up and then thanked Pansage before returning it to its pokeball.

"This recipe just isn't adding up!" he said, unsettled. "How did you appear from the sky like that?!"

"I don't know!" replied May. "One minute I'm at the beach, and the next minute I'm over here!" She pointed at the stream suddenly. "How is that tree floating on the water?! I'm sure I didn't see it there before!"

"Exactly the same thing that happened to you," responded Cilan, with a hand on his hip. "I saw it disappear and reappear in several spots before it reached the stream. Perhaps our eyes are playing tricks on us."

May contemplated this, and then took off her shoes and stepped into the stream. She touched the bark of the tree. "But it seems so real..." She looked down and frowned at the water. It didn't feel like water now at all, but they had definitely drank from it earlier. It looked like water though, and even made ripples when she stepped on it. She reached in and cupped her hands to lift some of it and gasped when the stuff in her hands was now sand.

"This just doesn't make sense..." muttered Cilan. "Did you notice anything when you left to explore the island?"

She stepped out of the stream and nodded. "I found a phone on the beach. It rang and when I picked up, the voice on the other end said to go to the Cave of Glitches at the center of the island."

"The center of the island?" Cilan turned to look at the rock formations and hesitated. It didn't look very safe. "That sounds suspicious! I don't know if we can trust a voice over the phone, either!" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Now hold on, a phone that works?! Where is it? Maybe we can call for help!"

"It disappeared right after I used it," answered May.

Cilan thought to himself for a moment, and then his eyes widened. "Ah! Of course! The Cave of Glitches...a glitch! Now this might sound strange, but I'm starting to think this place isn't on the same plane of reality as our world. A distortion, if you will. Basically this place might just be one big glitch!"

"Glitch Island?" piped up May.

"Exactly! Like a glitched island!" said Cilan, dramatically pointing at her.

She waved her hands to signal that wasn't what she meant. "No, Glitch Island! Mr. Briney mentioned it to me before the rally began-"

"You know Mr. Briney and SPOKE TO HIM?!" exclaimed Cilan. "He's well known to fishing connoisseurs everywhere! I can't believe you spoke to him in the flesh!"

"Well uh, yeah! haha!" she laughed that off, and continued. "He said it's an island that is only rumored to exist." She explained what Mr. Briney told her about the island. Cilan gasped.

"If our conclusions are correct, then we're on Glitch Island!" He grabbed her hands excitedly. "Do you know what this means?!"

"No, what?" she replied blankly.

He let go and spun around dramatically. Sparkles accompanied him and he was flushed in excitement. "We're one of the only ones in the world, no, the universe, who have somehow passed through to an alternate plane of reality thanks to a distortion in the time space continuum! This is a huge breakthrough, it's a science fiction fantasy!"

They heard the scanning noise again, and they turned their heads towards the noise. The red phone appeared once more, but this time attached to it was one of the pokemon transporters that are commonly seen in labs and pokemon centers. There was static on the video screen, but they were able to make out a blurred Nurse Joy. Cilan reached for the phone instantly, and grabbed the receiver. "Nurse Joy! Please, you have to send help, my friend and I are stuck on an island!"

The two of them jumped as the response they heard wasn't from the familiar kind voice of Nurse Joy. It was like someone edited the voice to make it sound much deeper and slower so that it was unrecognizable. "_Greetings, Pokemon Connoisseur Cilan and Pokemon Coordinator May. Are you enjoying your stay on Glitch Island?_" Cilan dropped the receiver in shock, realizing it wasn't her at all. "_I'm happy-happy-happy-happy you decided to drop by."_ The image distorted as the voice kept repeating "happy," and the voice sounded like it was a broken record player.

"Who are you?!" demanded May.

The phone began to disappear, and this time it reappeared in the form of a familiar face, the old sailor Mr. Briney. "Why, you don't recognize me, little lady?"

"Mr...Briney?" said May uncertainly. Cilan stretched his arm out protectively in front of May.

"There's no way that's Mr. Briney! This has to be some kind of trick! Who are you really?!" he exclaimed.

The image of Mr. Briney smiled at the two of them. But his normally friendly smile seemed sinister as the shape of his face continually distorted. As he spoke, his voice started to sound the way Nurse Joy's voice sounded on the phone earlier. "_You may call me the Glitch Master. You are correct, Pokemon Connoisseur Cilan. This island doesn't exist in your reality."_

Cilan and May suddenly found themselves hanging over the island, giving them an aerial view of the island and its surroundings. The island appeared transparent, distorting every single time a pokemon or a boat passed through it. It was as if it wasn't even there. They recognized the boat they used in the fishing rally where the stream on the island was supposed to be, resting above the clear, still waters. It was near one of the protruding rocks, its sharp edge appearing to sparkle from their height.

The Glitch Master's voice continued, _"You see, you can wait for a rescue, but you will be waiting forever-forever-forever-forever-forever."_

"What...do you want with us?" asked May in a strained voice, as a fisherman's boat spread through the water where the island existed.

The two of them appeared on the ground again, facing Mr. Briney. His smile was impossibly stretched out. He sounded like his normal self again. "Why, little lady, I don't want anything from you, or your young friend here. I just want you to become comfortable and _enjoy-enjoy-enjoy_ yourself here. However, I came to tell you there _is_ one way to escape this island."

"And what is that?" demanded Cilan.

"_If you go through the Cave of Glitches, you'll find a way out_," said the Glitch Master. "_But take your time, there is no rush. I even prepared a welcome present for you. Look for it before you enter the cave." _A map materialized on the ground near their feet. They made no moves to retrieve it. "_I believe you might even choose to stay-stay-stay-stay here and never leave. I'll take good care of you-I'll take good care of you-I'll take good care of you."_ Mr. Briney's body distorted once more, before it faded away.


End file.
